Isabelle's Day Off
by AppleStrueselWaffle
Summary: Isabelle, overworked and exhausted, goes to see Harriet for a haircut. The poodle insists upon seeing her again. Could this be... a date? Rated T for romance (Harriet x Isabelle)


Isabelle was never good about getting enough rest after work. Her mind was constantly buzzing with activity, making sleep even more of a challenge. The mayor's most recent ordinance, keeping stores open later than usual, wasn't exactly helpful to her sleeping schedule. Despite what the rest of the animals joked about, Isabelle did return home after the mayor finished for the day; however, he had been working late into the night in the past few weeks.

"Isabelle?" a human prodded the shi tzu gently.

Letting out a small yawn, Isabelle sat up. Upon seeing the face of the mayor, she jumped a little.

"M-mr. Mayor! I-I'm so sorry! I haven't been getting enough sleep, and I-" Isabelle stammered.

The human shook his head with a slight smile, "That's okay, Isabelle. That's actually why I wanted to wake you up. It's the Bug Off, and I want you to take the day off."

Isabelle blinked and laughed, "Oh Mr. Mayor, that's very sweet of you, but I don't take days off!"

"Well I won't be in the office today, and I know that you finished all of your work yesterday. Nat is already set up in the plaza, so I want you to take the day off," the mayor said gently.

The shi tzu thought about this for a second. A whole day off? What would she do? It wasn't like she could see Digby: he'd be busy at work. And she never really went shopping, so...

"Mr. Mayor, what do I... do? On a day off?"

The mayor seemed to be taken aback for a second before smiling, "Well, I usually go get my haircut. Or I wander around town and Main Street. There's so much to do, you're bound to find _something._ "

Isabelle frowned slightly and, with a resigned sigh, nodded her head.

"Alright, Mr. Mayor, I'll take the day off."

* * *

It was only noon, and Isabelle had run out of things to do.

She had left Town Hall only two hours ago, but she was bored already.

Fishing hadn't worked out: her line got tangled and she couldn't figure out how to undo it. Bug catching wasn't exactly her forte: swarms of bees had already cornered her into the houses of several very surprised villagers.

Thinking back to her conversation with the mayor, Isabelle decided to wander down Main Street and do some window shopping. After looking into the windows of the same shops several times over, she sat at the edge of the street, looking out to where the ocean and horizon met. She breathed in the cool air with its salty tang and reasoned that this was, perhaps, the best way to spend her day off.

Until the wind started blowing.

A powerful gust of wind blew Isabelle's bangs into her eyes, and she grumbled in frustration, only now realizing how long they had gotten. She pushed them up to her forehead, but it was to no avail. The fur fell back over her eyes and obscured her vision. With her late hours, she had been putting off a haircut for sometime now. Maybe it was finally time to go in.

The shi tzu pushed herself up off of the bench and made her way towards Shampoodle: a small hair salon situated above Able Sisters. Isabelle hesitated before pushing open the door. What if she didn't accept walk-ins? She usually arranged her appointment before coming in. Maybe it was best to just head back down and deal with it until she could-

"Isabelle!" a sing-song voice called out.

Isabelle jumped and looked around, searching for the source of the voice.

"Down here, hon!"

Down the steps stood Harriet donning her usual work apron and a pair of round sunglasses.

"Oh, hi, Harriet! I was just about to..."

"You here for a haircut, sugar?" Harriet asked, cocking her head slightly.

Isabelle nodded vigorously. Her bangs fell back over her eyes.

Harriet broke out into a wide grin, "Well head on in, I'll be there in just a sec."

Isabelle stepped into the cool shop, glad to be inside again, even if the day wasn't all that warm. She glanced around at the shop, admiring its retro color scheme and strange hair products. The smells of various shampoos and sprays was a tad overwhelming, but not unpleasantly so.

Harriet stepped inside and gestured for Isabelle to take a seat as she grabbed her scissors and combs.

"So, just a trim?" Harriet asked, "Or are you looking for something a little more... daring?" A mischievous gleam was present in the poodle's eye as she said this.

"I think I would just like a trim today," Isabelle said.

"Alright, hon. I'll get to work."

The poodle wrapped an apron around Isabelle and started on washing her hair, silent the entire time.

"So what brings you here so early, Belle? You're usually working until late at night, aren't you?" Harriet asked as she trimmed her bangs down.

"Oh, the mayor gave me the day off," Isabelle said cheerfully, "Today's the Bug Off, and he wanted me to take some time to myself."

Harriet nodded sagely, "He's a smart mayor. It's crucial that you take time to rest. I work until eleven, but I don't come in until ten in the morning."

"That sounds nice. I wish I had more time to myself, but I never know what to do with it!"

Keeping her eyes on Isabelle's fur, Harriet said, "Well, you could always come and spend time with me. I'm sure the mayor wouldn't mind, and I always enjoy company."

Isabelle felt her cheeks get warm and she turned her gaze to her lap, "I would love that, Harriet."

Harriet kept averting her eyes as she undid the apron around Isabelle, "You're all done, sugar! Come back soon, alright?"

Isabelle smiled and held out the bells, but Harriet refused them.

"This one's on the house. Just come by and see me again soon," Harriet smiled. Was she... blushing?

* * *

 **Wow, I expected this to be kind of a one-shot, but I plan on continuing this! Please review, I'm rusty with fanfic writing and I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you for reading!**


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